The
History of the Theatre Poster
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By 1900 huge, coloured theatre advertisements appeared on the streets,
comprising many sheets, posted like a jigsaw to make one huge picture.
A poster for a tour of an Adelphi Theatre melodrama was made up of 56
separate sheets, printed in 28 colours.
Poster advertising was so important at the turn of the century that
printers introduced ‘stock’ posters - posters with images
that could be used for advertising the most popular plays or pantomimes.
A manager didn’t have to go to the expense of producing his own
posters. He could buy them ready-made and add the text.
Advances were made in the technology of poster production in the early
20th century, including silk-screen printing
and mechanised lithography. As the century progressed,
however, the flamboyance of posters decreased.
The problems of the two World Wars affected poster
production in Britain, and by the middle of the
century typographical posters were the most
common.
Peter Pan Poster
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This poster for the original production of Peter Pan in 1904 was designed by Charles Buchel, an artist who loved the theatre and who claimed that he 'probably had as sitters, more actors and actresses than any other living artist'. Buchel provided artwork for most of the leading actor-managers of the day, and painted theatrical scenes and portraits for illustrated magazines. He was most closely associated, however, with the actor-manager Herbert Beerbohm Tree who owned His Majesty's Theatre. Over a period of 16 years he commissioned Buchel to provide illustrations for his posters and brochures, oil paintings - several of himself in roles, and designs for decorating his apartment at the theatre. This image shows Peter flying Wendy away to NeverLand, the lighted windows of the houses below a memory of the home she has left, and the sea beyond a reference to the island life to come. Created: 1904 This object features in the
Drama
Guided Tour
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